Overtures Of Tomorrow
by NewAgeOfPower
Summary: Short, Ultra-Canon, Maiya Hisau Centric Pre-Fate/Zero story; fluff intergrating with Tainted Ideals and my own future works. Cross posted from Beast's Lair Forums; BGM/Images available there.
1. Chapter 0: A Freelancer's Last Gig

I must offer thanks to Kieran for beta-testing tearing into bloody chunks my first fanfiction/short story. Long live Ilya's jester!

Thanks to Beamu for trolling me correcting some of my mistakes **after** l posted the fic : )

Additional thanks to Stormedge and Third Fang for moderate OC-borrowage.

This fiction is intended to serve as an anchor for my future, non-crack works; list of all my works found here, and interconnect somewhat with other author's fanfiction.

Chapter 0- **A Freelancer's Last Gig**

BGM

1985, Sudan, during Sudanese Civil War

We're travelling on a dirt road. It is late in the evening, and I can see the blood red sky for miles around – it would be romantic, if we weren't hot, dusty, and sticky, or if one could ignore the fact both of us are walking arsenals, here to kill a heretical mage, and bring his body & research in...

I saw Kiritsugu hold up his fist - military hand signal for 'Freeze'. Instantly, I dove for cover.

*BOOM!* I felt the air above my head ripple.

As sniper fire passed above us, a few small chunks of debris streamed down from the impact crater. I glanced over at Kiritsugu, who was reflexively checking his weapons. I grabbed a smoke grenade from my combat webbing as I turned to lob it over our wall- but Kiri put his hand on my shoulder.

_"Time Alter - Double Accel"_ he chanted, unslinging his Walther WA2000, quickly becoming a blur before my eyes- his short rifle cracked three times, then he dropped out of his innate bounded field within two seconds, reloading reflexively, rifle still shouldered, eyes still peering through the scope.

His nose was bleeding, and his eyes were bloodshot, from the aftereffects of using his family's Magic Crest: it allowed for time control within a temporal zone, but after the bounded field collapsed Gaia would 'adjust the incorrect time', causing great strain on Kiritsugu which increased proportionally to the degree to which he altered time or the longer he continued the field.

Something in me moved, seeing this. Before I knew it, I was sopping the blood from his nose with a handkerchief. He looked at me, a ghost of a smile briefly appearing and disappearing on his granite-like expression. "We'll use our last smoke to exfiltrate. There are four more hostiles remaining in the compound. After we deal with them, we grab the body and research notes, and then you torch the compound while I get rid of our traces here. Then we'll meet up with Brogan McFraga and deliver the goods."

Checking our weapons once more, we stealthily advanced to the compound. Busting down a back entrance, I shouldered my Steyr AUG and crouched to deliver covering fire as Kiritsugu mowed down guards with his Calico M960 in his left hand and his Thompson Contender barked once in his right hand, putting down our primary target- the Sealing Designate. Opening the door to the main testing lab in the facility, I came upon a scene that made my stomach feel sick- there were dismembered bodies of children lying around. Through my mind, flashbacks of my childhood roared, of machetes, of blood, of-

"Maiya." Kiritsugu put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Take this suitcase, with the research notes. Get to the extraction point. I'll take care of everything here."

I jerkily nodded once, and ran for the exit.

===================== -][- ======================

*2 hours, 18 minutes later*

Towards the Suakin Docks

"Where is Brogan McFraga? He should have been here half an hour ago!" I mutter. At least the temperature was lower, being closer to the Red Sea, and nighttime had truly set in.

Kiritsugu replied: "Your real question, Maiya, is why we aren't taking the goods to the Mage's Association ourselves, isn't it?"

I stopped, looking at him.

"Then-" Kiritsugu smiled at me, cutting my train of thought off. "You are wondering if I will take up the Einzberns on their offer, no?"

That man… He could read my mind as if it were an open book- without using magecraft.

"Don't worry- this is a way for me to finally achieve my childish dreams." he continued. "Finally, a way to achieve peace, to surpass the bloodbath that is human history, to have a Utopia on Earth, now and forever…" Suddenly, as if ashamed, he looked away from me.

"I- I would never think of that dream as childish! Such an ideal is…! Is worthy…" I responded.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"I- A tool has no feelings. I- I couldn't possibly judge your goals. I would- I'd follow you through the gates of Hell itself. Sir."

Looking at me again, Kiritsugu replied, "Well, I was about to offer you independence again. Are you sure, Maiya? I could give you enough money to live comfortably in a First World nation for decades, or contacts and weapons if you want to continue this lifestyle, perhaps you'd-"

"Never." I cut him off, "Besides, who else would be able to save you?" I was referring to a mission 6 months ago, where he ran out of ammunition while storming a facility deemed Heretical by the Church, and received a life-threatening wound.

To destroy the site, I had to simulate an entire platoon of firepower using massed mortars. Then I lead the remaining guards in a wild goose chase through the local mountains over 2 days, culminating in a sniper duel while Kiritsugu's Magic Crest repaired his body. Blushing, I remembered how he almost ran out of Prana halfway through too- !

"I- I have no regrets."

As the boat arrived, he nodded slowly. "Well then. I'll need you to take care of … loose ends while I negotiate with the Einzberns… Can't have my enemies interfering with my work, not when I'm this close…"

Chapter 0 Fin.


	2. Chapter 1: NWAIOM

Chapter 1-**NWAIOM**:

BGM

Germany, 1986.

The air outside is cold, crisp, with the feeling of being untouched, unlike the recycled air inside the jet. I can see heavy clouds above us.

As I step off the jet, the stewardess calls out: "Luggage will be delivered in section 12!"

Unthinkingly, I say "Take care of it, Mai-" before realizing again, how alone I was. It's like… missing my shadow. Still, no time to be off balance now- I cannot appear weak before the Einzberns.

Getting in a rental car, I look up the map to the site of Castle Einzbern. Mages are always paranoid - having their workshop/arcane fortress located in some remote, easily defensible location… a 3 hour drive.

I wonder what Natalia would think of her student – no, her son, these days…

===================== -][- ======================

*3 hours, 58 minutes later*

BGM

It is quite clammy, almost dank inside, although I'd gladly suffer this rather than the howling maelstrom of a snowstorm. I can feel truly enormous amounts of Prana running through the Castle, sealed in by the stone foundation.

An older mage, with white hair like a frozen waterfall and deep eye sockets is glaring at me. There are multiple homunculi - artificial beings, created by House Einzbern Thaumaturgy. They are presumably guards, standing at the sides of Einzbern Castle's Great Hall.

One of them, a pretty woman with long, silvery-white hair, and red eyes seems to be paying more attention to me than the others. Her beauty contrasts with her almost expressionless face.

"You're quite late." Jubstacheit von Einzbern, also known as Old-man Acht, current head of the Einzbern lineage pointed out every fault he could see. "We have no time for posturing."

"Well, someone had the brilliant idea of putting their workshop on top of a mountain… Inevitably snowstorms will occur… The signs were masked by drifts, I had to home in on your Bounded Field's emissions."

"I see. So, are you prepared to accept the Einzbern family's patronage?" His straightforwardness, so unlike average mages conduct, forces me to think for a second.

"If I were not interested, there would be no point in coming here in the first place- but, why should I fight in your war for you?"

I could not let them know I was interested only in the Grail itself- they had to believe I needed an outside motivation to fight for the Grail.

"You can't make demands of House Einzbern, mercenary killers like you are a dime-a-dozen, why, we have a list of over a dozen suitable candidates…"

I snorted, and used his own words against him. "Save the posturing for later, Jubstacheit- we both know why I'm here, why you asked to see me."

Nodding slowly, he responded: "Indeed. Your defeat of the Edelfelt was quite impressive- it was the talk of the Magus world for over a year- more importantly to our conversation, that Edelfelt was one of the siblings that managed not only to survive the Third Heaven's Feel, but was also the one that killed the Einzbern Champion."

Putting on a business smile, I replied: "Now that we are done patting ourselves on the back for being so smart… What terms are you prepared to offer me?"

"I see I was right to choose you… Irisviel! Bring the Talbot farm's special Darjeeling tea." As the woman I noticed bowed out and left, I raised an eyebrow at this… rude treatment of his...

Dismissively, he explained: "Homunculi are merely tools of the Einzbern. Like familiars, and Mystic Codes, they are objects without emotion…" He was wrong. I've met- and destroyed familiars with emotions.

Acht's eyes glinted as he tilted his head forward and continued. "We're prepared to offer official pardons for all the crimes you have committed from the Magus Association, membership in said Association, payment in hard bullion, the resources of the Einzbern Alchemical laboratories, although… I believe you have no interest in Thaumaturgical research whatsoever… plus, integration and official recognition of the Emiya Clan as a branch lineage of House Einzbern."

"What? What do you mean?"

Acht smiled, having predicted my confusion. "You will marry into Einzbern family, and produce an heir. Quite an elegant deal, isn't it?"

In a flash, I understood. My eyes widened. They would use my child against me as collateral, a hostage, really, to ensure I did not betray the Einzberns during the Fourth Holy Grail War. Still… I was confused and curious.

"The Einzbern family has no female descendants of reproductive age- in fact; there are no female members of the Einzbern lineage alive today… That I know of."

The female homunculi, Irisviel, returned with a tray, laden with two cups and a steaming pot of tea.

"Thank you." I murmured to her.

She didn't know how to respond, just staring at me.

Like a cat playing with a trapped mouse, Jubstacheit smiled again. "Oh, no, you are quite correct. You will be marrying one of our Homunculi." Seeing the expression on my face, he laughed- and put his hand on Irisviel's shoulder. "What? Is an Einzbern creation flawed? Is she not beautiful? What objections could one have?" Pulling out a manila folder, loaded with files I ascertained were, in fact documenting me, he continued.

"Your lineage, although a mere five generations old, has demonstrated remarkable tenacity and determination in its pursuit of the Mage's Quest- the Root of the Swirl, Akasha, managing to devise interesting, previously unexplored branches of Time Magic. You, Kiritsugu, are a nearly unique exemplar of cunning, ruthlessness, willpower, and ability to think outside the box. Your clan's Thaumaturgical circuits are quite potent; despite only possessing one-third of the original crest, you are able to perform incredible feats with them. If a mere one-tenth of these traits or even just the Crest alone were to be passed down to an Einzbern-related lineage, it would be more than worth the effort."

Although I had recomposed my expression, I could not tear my eyes off of Irisviel, while my mind raced ahead, attempting to formulate a coherent plan of action, or just an argument. Irisviel's face was a mixture of a childlike-blankness, curiosity, fear, and desire - but mostly a blank expression. I put my hand under her chin, turning it slightly, testing for a response. Her eyes widened for a split second. She was very warm - and my mind already reached a decision.

I had no choice, really. Even if she was undesirable (and she was quite the opposite) I have to achieve my dream. If I were to walk away from this, after all the bloodshed, all the lives I've taken, everything that I've destroyed, it would be an betrayal of my ideals, no, my very self.

For humanity, I had to go on.

Nodding, I announced: "I accept."

===================== -][- ======================

*Approximately Midnight*

BGM

I sighed.

"WHAT? HOW COULD THIS… CONTRAPTION BE OF ANY USE?" Jubstacheit roared. He was raging quite hard, at my insistence that we modernize our base of operations, Fortress Einzbern. "THIS IS EVEN WORSE THAN THOSE… TELEPHONE THINGS!"

A few hours ago, when I began with phones, Acht was quite more than annoyed with the phone lines I had the homunculi begin installing. In fact, he vaporized a section of the Great Hall.

"IT WHIRRS AND MAKES AN ODD NOISE! IT'S A HUGE HUNK OF UGLY, MUNDANE METAL! DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THIS- THIS 'MONITOR'!"

We managed to compromise on phones by using satellite phones- horrendously expensive and inefficient, but the Einzbern dynasty was practically swimming in money… And then I had to get the phone's shells changed to a Victorian-style appearance…

"HOW DOES ONE USE THIS- THIS THING? IT DOESN'T RESPOND TO ARCANE COMMANDS! WHY IS THE SCREEN BLUE NOW? A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to-"

I sighed again, mentally adding another few thousand dollars to the bill as Acht lifted the IBM up and chucked it across the room.

"WHY DOESN'T THIS WORK EITHER? I HAVE A CLEAR IMAGE IN MY HEAD!" Acht huffed, as he roundhouse kicked the printer/fax/photocopier. I'll have to get separate printer, fax machines, and photocopiers- reduces the loss when he trashes one of them.

"If you're done destroying things, I'm going to explain: Like the phone, the computer, photocopier, fax, and printer are designed to be operated manually. No using magic." I sighed, pointing at the wreck of my not-so-new-anymore IBM, and continued.

"Like the phone, the computer can communicate near-instantaneously across the world, allowing a user to connect to something known as the Internet. This network allows us to access the aggregate knowledge database of over a billion users- although, most of it is junk."

"While having a network of familiars to gather data, and using information acquired from contacts in the Clocktower can be useful, the sheer scale of the Internet has its own benefits as well… And our enemies are unlikely to be acquainted with it." Now pointing at the photocopier/fax/printer, I shrugged.

"Despite not being as important as the computer, this device serves its purpose well. You can't send your thoughts into it and expect a letter or image, but it does allow one to print out images nearly-perfectly from the Internet, another fax machine, and it allows one to send documents great distances at a much higher resolution than the standard Mage's Transcriber."

"Now that you've understood their purposes, I hope-"

"I AM NOT DONE RANTING YET! I'VE HARDLY BEGUN!"

Again, I sighed. It was going to be a long night.

Chapter 1 Fin.


	3. Chapter 2: Loose Ends

Chapter 2- **Loose Ends**

BGM

*Meanwhile, also around midnight*

Britain, Thames River, 1986

It was raining, dark, and stormy; quite normal for Britain. I pulled the bolt and began loading the Remington 700.

Kiritsugu trusts me to protect his dream. I finished loading and chambered one round.

Sirius McGinty indicated Brogan McFraga was last spotted at a bar near here… A can of Kiritsugu's 'Prana Tracing Spray' sat empty in my hands. A dull, florescent orange trail led up to this warehouse.

I put my NVG monocle over my left eye, checked my Glock 18, then the door.

Locked! I pulled out a lock pick and began working on the door. I heard voices inside and strained my ears to hear them.

"Who are you? Why did you grab me?" A reedy, almost petulant voice whines.

*SMACK!* the unmistakable sound of flesh impacting flesh.

"Well, isn't the reject Fraga getting uppity? I'll be asking the questions here. You delivered a Sealing Designate's research notes and body to the Department of Universal Research about six months ago…"

I opened the lock and slowly cracked open the door. It's a pretty big warehouse, but sound carried well- I stepped in slowly, moving towards a dark corner. Inside I saw that the middle of the warehouse, about 50 meters away, was dimly lit. I took off the NVG monocle, and deployed the bipods on my Remington 700.

"How did you find out? Is this about Sirius McGinty? I'm sorry about trying to steal the money, I sw-"

*SMACK*

"Again? Next outburst and I'll be slicing off the first joint of one of your fingers. However, no, I am not working for that barbarian; my master is the noble and graceful genius, Lord El-Melloi."

"Kayneth Archibald? Wait, no, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to open my mou- AHHHH!"

He screamed for a short while, and then began sobbing.

"Well, it helped in tracking you down, that you tried to steal the money during the delivery of the goods - the fool McGinty nearly believed it was you who killed the Sealing Designate- an absurd story! If you think this is painful, imagine how Emiya will react to your attempted betrayal…"

He's already dead. He just doesn't know it yet.

Either way, he has to die. If Kayneth Archibald's agent doesn't kill Brogan then he isn't a professional. In fact, giving away his master's name unnecessarily is already the mistake of a rank amateur.

Kayneth's agent is silhouetted against the light. Brogan is tied down in the chair. I settle the crosshairs on the neck of the interrogator, and wait for the conversation to finish – perhaps some more information that will be of use to Kiritsugu will be spilled tonight.

"So, how did you come into contact with Kiritsugu?"

*sob* "I've known Sirius since I was young… he was always disappointed in how I turned out, he was a friend of Natalia and Kiritsugu, and he thought this job might put me back on the right track."

*SMACK*

"I have no time for your little emotional issues. Tell me the details of the job."

*choking down a sob* "I- I went to Sudan in a ship, and waited for Emiya to destroy the compound, grab the body and retrieve the notes. After he passed them to me, I was to deliver it to the Department of Universal Research. They went to the Department of Spiritual Invocation and had Sirius begin work on the body, since-"

"I see. That's quite enough. Thank you, I've heard everything I need to know." His voice is almost high, loaded with pleasure and excitement in every single word.

*sob* "Will you let me go now? I don't have any more information."

"Ohhh noo… You will be of far more entertainment… You see, you have to die, we can't let that bastard Tokiomi or someone else get their hands on you… But that doesn't mean you have to die instantly!" His voice is suffused with glee, even desire, as he pulls out rather wicked looking tools.

I breathe out and slowly squeeze the trigger of my rifle.

*BOOM* A hole appears in his head. Brogan's face is covered in the brains of Kayneth's agent. As he begins to talk, my hand moves in a practiced motion, working the action, extracting the spent cartridge, chambering a new round, settling the rifle, maintaining a good cheek weld. I shift the rifle slightly-

"OH GOD! WHOEVER YOU ARE, THANK YOU! I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE! THANK YOU SO MUCH! THA-"

*BOOM* Again, my rifle recoiled in my arms, pressing into my shoulder.

He looks down at his chest, unbelieving. Blood is streamed out. My hand continues its practiced motion, moving up to the action, working the bolt, chambering a new round.

"!- !- Why"

*BOOM*

===================== -][- ======================

*15 minutes later*

The warehouse is on fire. Neither body will be found. I checked the agent's personal effects- he hasn't reported his findings to Kayneth. The Archibald mailbox is located near the Clocktower, but to avoid attention it is completely unshielded- a mundane mailbox.

Tomorrow I will forge his agent's handwriting. Archibald will believe that the agent found out the Einzberns will be participating in this war themselves, as they normally do.

He will never see Kiritsugu coming, nor will he have done his research on my master's methods.

He will die, not a threat to Emiya's dreams.

My Kiritsugu- will find happiness!

Chapter 2 Fin


	4. Chapter 3: An Unpleasant Surprise

Chapter 3- An Unpleasant Surprise.  
Britain, January 1987, ~8 PM.

My phone rang. My heart skipped a beat – It was Kiritsugu! Thoughts raced through my mind - Would he be proud of me? I could have captured Kayneth's Agent, and interrogated him. But I'm a terrible magus. Once aware, he could have turned the tables on me, and…

He spoke: "Hello, Maiya. Are you there?"

I didn't realize I was holding my breath. "Hai. Kiritsugu… It's been a while."

"It's good to hear your voice, Maiya."

My heart leapt, as he continued:

"I have many things to tell you… but first, the loose end. Status report."

"Right. First, I tracked him down to France but he disappeared so I had to ask McGinty…"

==================== -][- ====================

*1 hour, 12 minutes later*

"… and so, after planting the false Intel in the Archibald dead drop, and then a letter terminating employment, citing recent death in the family plus new familial obligations, I returned to the warehouse, and indeed no evidence, magical or otherwise remained of what transpired there."

"Hahaha! A classic clichéd excuse! I love your taste, Maiya!"

"Kiritsugu?" I squeaked, unable to conceal the surprise in my voice. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, you performed perfectly, once again. Good job – and, thank you."

Smiling, I remembered something said at the beginning of the phone call. "You mentioned something earlier… You had something to tell me?"

"I – Maiya, I'm…" He trailed off.

"Are you all right, Kiritsugu? Did the Einzbern decide against you? Your dreams, we can still-"

"No, no. The Einzberns will support me; 'employ' me, so to speak, with better terms than I could have hoped for… Except for one term."

"What is it?"

He paused for what felt like an eternity. "Meet me in Munich 2 days from now, it's only a few hours to drive from Festung Einzbern. [A/N: Festung is German for fortress]

==================== -][- ====================

*About 38 hours have passed – High noon, approximately 1 KM away from Castle Einzbern*

I checked my Remington 700 for the umpteenth time. It was loaded, and cleaned. Kiritsugu told me how he would obsessively clean and check his equipment before a mission – he first used this rifle in New York, shortly before shooting down a jetliner…

He didn't use any of the code phrases indicating he was captured or being held against his will or being subjected to any sort of coercion – but Kiritsugu simply was NEVER surprised or hesitant, always decisive and ready. Something was wrong.

I'm supposed to meet up with him tonight in a café in Munich. I have to see what's going on, if I need to mount a rescue operation or who knows what else…

If I had moved any closer I couldn't have disarmed the next layer of bounded fields without setting off alarms. The current Einzbern defenses are simple bounded fields designed to alert the defenders and run Prana through cleverly designed objects which instantly 'animated' into an army of familiars- but Kiritsugu was an expert at breaking Bounded Fields, and he taught some of that skill to me.

Still, it was close enough to plan my next course of action. I turned on my IR/Light Amplification rig; Kiritsugu's special Magus Detecting Equipment. It worked even better when said magus was giving off heavy heat emissions- i.e. using large amounts of Prana. I could use it to see through one layer of walls fairly well.

Focusing the lenses, and adjusting the thermal balance, I saw many humanlike but oddly different blurs, and Kiritsugu's characteristic emissions walking next to one! They were heading towards a balcony, I would be able to see Kiritsugu soon!

Peering down my riflescope, I eagerly thought of his tousled hair, the expression he usually had on his face-

H- ha. Wh-what.

The power drained out of my arms. I could not breathe at all. I could not close my eyes.

The scene seared itself into my mind. I would never be able to forget it, for as long as I live. He was walking with some woman in his arms. He pointed up to the sky, saying something.

She nodded, and then turned to him, a question on her face. He simply smiled, a deep smile I've seen only once on him, and then he-

He kissed her.

He kissed HER.

My rifle was cold against my cheek. My heart was beating wildly. I could not breathe at all. My mind was full and yet blank. I could not think.

She was beautiful; much prettier than me. With pale long hair, pale, inhumanly perfect skin, well-proportioned features, and deep red eyes. After an agonizing eternity, he broke his kiss. She had another curious expression on her face, and asked him a question. Smiling again, he patted her on the head, and pointed at the trees, the sun, the clouds, and the mountains behind them, then squeezed her in his arms.

My heart was beating wildly. I could not breathe at all. My rifle was cold against my cheek. My mind was full and yet blank. I could not think.

Kiritsugu was gorgeously handsome in formal clothes, and he was even more so in a tuxedo. Squeezing her in his arms, with his head resting on her shoulder, whispering into her ear as she nodded with a childlike expression…

My heart was beating wildly. I could not breathe at all. My mind was full and yet blank. I could not think. My rifle was cold against my cheek.

Chapter 3 Fin.

[A/N: Not a single review? There are 4 Chapters up...]


	5. Chapter 4: Ill Fated

Chapter 4- Ill Fated

*High noon, a hill approximately 1 km away from Castle Einzbern*

I leaned into my rifle, steadying it and myself, breathing out.

Checking my gear, adjusting my sling, my webbing- everything checked out fine.

Then I ran. Ran like wounded prey.

*Somewhat towards Munich, approximately 2 PM*

Rita Rozay-en paused, and gave out a long, dramatic sigh. Her companion was taking his sweet time.

"Petr Escherdt!" She called out to a slightly pudgy Romanian man, who was huffing and puffing.

"Could you please treat me like a partner?"

"I'd rather tear you to little pieces." Smiling sweetly, she continued: "Did you manage to improve the Concealed Bounded Fields?"

"Why, yes; through the application of an asynchronous sensory masking gradient, I've managed to reduce the mean detection radius by 38% while only lowering the maximum capacity-"

"Cease boring me with the details of your mundane research, commoner." Watching him grit his teeth, she smiled, and then continued "Have we tested them on a magus yet?"

Escherdt's blood was boiling. This woman was more annoying than even his foppish little brother, Constantin. She dared call him a commoner! If it weren't for the fact she was a Dead Apostle Ancestor and could tear his entire family apart with her bare hands…

"No, ma'am, I haven't located any suitable test subjects-"

Again Rita cut him off, holding up her hand. She was sniffing the air. Her eyes were scanning towards the Einzbern holdings.

"You can't be serious! The Einzbern fortress is not only nearly impenetrable, but they are a leading dynasty within the Association! We'd get destroyed by an army of Enforcers before we even got halfway-"

*Slap* Like a bolt of lightning, her hand flashed out, and smashed into the side of Petr's face.

"Silly fool; I sense a young Magus departing from the area. She's broken quite a few of their fields, without setting off alarms to boot. She should make a perfect test subject, no?"

*8 PM*

I woke up groggily. Inside my mind still seared the vision I saw earlier today. I stopped thinking, stopped checking my surroundings, just let emotion take over. And thus someone got the jump on me and was able to but capture me.

"My my, look at that cute expression on her face when she wakes up; in fact, it's too bad she's not a virgin…" Smiling sweetly, she continued: "I wonder how her blood would taste on my tongue, how its warmth would be on my skin, how she would shudder as her life bled out… I haven't dined on Asian cuisine in awhile."

I focused my eyes, sensing in the dark room two entities. One woman had fierce red eyes, and… was apparently a vampire. The other was a creepy Eastern European man, pudgy, with a lecherous look in his eyes as he glanced up and down my tied up form.

"What do you want?" I called out.

"I am Rita Rozay-en, and we have a simple task for you… Petr Escherdt, explain to the nice young lady."

Trying to look deeply into my eyes, but failing at causing anything but a shudder of disgust, Escherdt spoke: "Simple. We have tied you rather loosely. You will attempt to escape from this labyrinth, this maze we have constructed. Once you do so, I may give you your life… But only if you're willing to make yourself useful."

He then gave a squeal, and whined as the vampire grabbed him around the waist and jumped up through the high roof, over 15 meters above us, punching a hole through thin sheet metal.

"Good luck!" She called out as she left.

Slipping out a holdout knife, I began to work on my bonds. It was going to take awhile.

*8 PM, other side of town, Kiritsugu is eating inside a restaurant*

I thought to myself: "It's incredibly unusual for Maiya to not show up early and set up traps, hideouts, escape routes, and otherwise reconnoiter the area… maybe something is wrong?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I then ordered more Weisswurst, while browsing the mental feed from an Einzbern familiar. Those birds were incredibly well-made, and their remote sensory input offered minimal mental distortion while maximizing resolution and image acuity.

I was hoping to share this delicious meal with Maiya- she would love this hearty, filling, rustic food, given her… past. Images of hungry children with guns flashed through my mind.

As I savored the flavor of the bacon constituting the sausages, subtle hints of lemon, onions, ginger, and parsley freely flowed across my not-too-refined palette. I was beginning to regret my terrible cooking skills, when suddenly one of my familiars alerted me to blast of magical energy, equivalent to a land mine.

No human could survive that blast!

BGM- Magus Killer

*Back inside the Escherdt Experimental Maze*

I was not expected to escape or survive. This maze was a way of testing… something. I heard from Kiritsugu how most mages not only experimented on humans, but it was tolerated, in fact, considered nearly laudable, to conduct research this way. Only when mages began to act against the interests of the Association were they ruthlessly hunted down… unless Kiritsugu or the few like him caught wind of their actions.

They left me my tools and my bag. No doubt the vampire and the mage disdained such 'mundane' tools… more fools they.

My wristwatch vibrated, and my eyes widened.

I froze. I was going to miss my…

Dinner. With Kiritsugu.

I was dashing for the exit when hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

I stopped. My instincts have saved my life many times before. A flashback of landmine blowing up other children in front of me passed through my eyes as I donned the modified NVG gear Kiritsugu had me use for the last mission.

Flicking it on, I saw a very powerful concentration of mana, contained within a bounded field that was somehow layered in a way that would cause it to be concealed even to Magi… ready to explode like a bomb. I backed myself into the other side of the room, while picking up a metallic object in my bag- an spare rifle cartridge.

Ducking behind a desk on the other side of the room, I flung the round into the field. My world turned white.

*At the restaurant*

Jumping up, I thanked the waiter for allowing me to order Weisswurst in the evening, slapped down a $100 American bill, and told him to keep the change as I sprinted out the store. My familiars were reading this activity from a warehouse halfway across town. In fact, now that I've begun paying attention to them, I noticed a pair of distinct magical signatures, one of which was a slightly-above mediocre magus, and the other was much odder… vastly older…

A pudgy Romanian man next to a tall, elegant woman, were standing on the roof of another building, watching the warehouse. I pointed an enchanted directional microphone at them while checking my weapons bag. I had my Mystic Code, some C4, a Calico M960, and a FAMAS. All of them were loaded. I did not have my IR/NVG gear.

Putting on the headset, running at the warehouse, still holding the microphone, it began locking on to the Thaumaturgical signatures. Like my Thompson Contender and my coat, this microphone was built by Sirius McGinty, an old friend (perhaps once more than a friend) of Natalia's.

"Huh. She survived the first field, interesting…"

"A mage capable of breaking multiple Einzbern defenses is a better mage than you, Petr."

"Hah. There are multiple varied fields in the maze. Each one is of a different design. She will not pass through the maze. We'll know which designs are more detectable, what sets of vulnerability, sensitivity, concealment, power, and design is most optimal… 15th Ancestor."

I would probably not stand a chance in an open fight. Furthermore, unless she was using Magecraft, not even my Mystic Code could stop her. I needed time to prepare… Time I did not have. Given the vast power differential between me and the Ancestor, I decided to go for a smash-and-grab plan: Get Maiya, get out.

Running around another building, I lost line-of-sight on the duo on top of the building, and called up the Einzberns.

"Jubstacheit."

"How do I use this dratted thing? Hello? Emiya? Can you hear me now?"

"Loud and clear. Listen, there is an Dead Apostle on your family spiritual lands. In fact, I believe it's the 15th Ancestor, and you understand what that means."

"The Ancestor is an enormous threat, and must be removed from Einzbern territory.. Are you capable of disposing it?"

"Have me destroy the Dead Apostle Ancestor? I probably could... but I'm currently not prepared to do so."

"I see. In that case, we may have a way to get rid of the threat and increase the Einzbern's standing within the Association."

"Oh? Two birds with one stone again? Do tell."

"I'll call Lorelei in from the Clocktower. I have mages in place in the bureaucracy, we'll engage in some mass mind control on this side; it will allow our Vice-Director to get over here quickly. The mages at the Clocktower no doubt also control their own customs officials, and for a chance at hunting down an vampire of this caliber, the Barthomeloi would probably overcome the Magician's Hate of Technology and use an Concorde to get over here within the hour."

I then cut the connection. He was right; Lorelei Barthomeloi was probably going to have an orgasm. The Barthomeloi absolutely hated vampires, but the current Vice-Director of the Clocktower, Lorelei, took it to a new extreme.

She would send out her personal army; the Chelon Canticle Brigade, not to directly fight the Dead Apostle, but to exterminate her clan and prevent them from fleeing. These were some of the most powerful magi in existence, and they all served her personally. Lorelei would personally slaughter the head and as many vampires as she could lay her hands on.

I began heading towards the back wall of the warehouse, still attempting to conceal my presence. This coat I wore was not only specially reinforced but reduced my magical signature and my apparent life-signs… Once I hear Maiya through the microphone, I would knock in Morse Code on the back door, signaling my presence.

*Inside the warehouse, 30 minutes later *

I saw another trap. It was quite cleverly concealed; its Prana emissions were so cleverly hidden I might have mistaken it for a radiator. I shot it with my Glock 19 twice, but it didn't explode. Instead, the power seemed to fade from it... but the hairs on the back of my neck were still standing.

Grabbing a chunk of rubble, I threw it into the center of the field. The pebble simply dissolved in an actinic glare, its shadow imprinting itself onto my retinas, through my eyelids. I was seeing white again for a few more seconds as I desperately blinked my eyes rapidly, attempting to clear my vision.

Turning the corner, I heard a repetitive knocking.

Stopping, carefully listening- it was Kiritsugu! He was telling me he would blast through the next section of wall ahead, and to wait for him to escape-

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

==================== -][- ====================

*Outside the warehouse*

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

I quickly turned around, drawing my weapons in a swift motion. Nothing was there. Before even an instant had passed, I chanted "Time Alter- Double Accel."

As I turned once again, a claw-like hand missed where my head was a fraction of a second ago, scratching against my cheek, drawing blood.

Finishing the turn, and pointing my FAMAS at them, I ended my bounded field before it caused any more internal damage.

"So, who are you, and-"

Through the corner of my eyes, I saw her shifting to the side, as her companion attempted to talk to me.

*BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM* The assault rifle unloaded 30 rounds of 5.56 NATO, each bearing about 4 grams of lead jacketed in copper alloy, delivering over 1700 joules per bullet, as I rolled then reloaded in one motion.

Over half of the projectiles impacted the Dead Apostle Ancestor. Unfortunately, and as expected, she barely even noticed and simply continued her charge. One my rounds hit the Escherdt who, was sprawled out on the floor.

Roaring, Rita leapt into the air. I barely had any time to evade. Again, I chanted: "Time Alter- Triple Accel!"

As she landed striking where I was an instant ago, I engaged my combat knife while raising the FAMAS again. As I stabbed her in the back of her head, towards the cerebral cortex, I pulled the trigger on the FAMAS again. In slow motion, I saw rounds splatter against her skin. As the rain of lead continued, some pierced her hide, but simply pancaked against the bone underneath. Finally, some rounds penetrated through her skull, but were simply absorbed. My innate bounded field was destabilizing- it was conflicting with something she was doing- somehow she seemed to be reversing time on her own body. As the FAMAS emptied, I smashed it into the back of her head, pushing the knife in deeper.

Capillaries were bursting. My ribs were fracturing. My shins had splinters shearing off. My heart strained as my arterial pressure spiked through the roof. I could not feel my trigger finger.

Gritting my teeth, I rolled away, reloading my FAMAS yet again as my innate field dropped.

Combat knife still buried in the back of her head, she turned, laughing at me. "You are a MUCH more interesting man than Petr over there… In fact, that actually hurt!"

Groaning as he got up, Petr complained: "After all the work I've done for you, is this all you can say?"

Ignoring him, she pointed her chin at me: "Join me. I could use someone with your disposition and talents by my side. I might even make you into one of my vampires. We're going to have SO MUCH FUN! I can show you the nicer things in life! You need to see my art collection!"

As Petr's jaw dropped, I replied: "I cannot abide by the destruction of innocent lives. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to retrieve the woman you're toying around with."

With an playful look on her face, she stood in my way: "Oh? Is that your squeeze in there? I promise… I am much better in bed- centuries of practice, you see… Vampirism, grants many side benefits, not only am I at the height of youth, I'm also much tight-"

I didn't hear her finish the rest of her sentence, as I cut it off with a burst of fire from my FAMAS.

*BOOMBOOMBOOM**Click* Piece of trash, it jammed after being used as a hand-to-hand weapon… I made a mental note to never buy French again in my life… If I survived the current situation.

Tossing it aside, I drew my Mystic Code and M960, while loading the Contender with a normal rifle round.

Ignoring the hail of fire, she began pulling out the knife from the back of her head, as she continued: "Alright, if she's that important to you, I'll make both of you mine; not only is she cute but pretty useful as-"

I threw a small block of C4 slightly behind Rita. As she jumped, it obliterated a section of wall behind her.

Petr went flying, howling "Why me?"

Rita roared aloud in a fit of rage, as she attempted to kill me once more. Clawed hands followed through the spot where I once was. My heartbeat became erratic as small amounts of damage from split-second bursts of Innate Time Control took their toll on me and began adding up. I was bleeding profusely from multiple sites on my body.

Just a little longer, and I would make a mistake. Just one mistake, an I would die.

Rita continued her assault, and I saw Maiya approach the hole in the wall, from inside the warehouse. As she raised her pistol, I shook my head at her.

As I leapt away once again, I saw a mighty blast of wind magic pass me by. The Dead Apostle Ancestor began fleeing!

Looking behind me, I saw over a dozen Mages, dressed in Enforcer Robes, with a special badge, and the infamous Vice-Director of the Clocktower. Pointing her gauntlet in the direction Rita ran off in, she gave out orders.

"Stanwell! Take the right flank and cut off her escape routes! The rest of you, come with me! No mercy!"

The look on her face was hungry, and loaded with hedonistic delight as she chased after the Apostle Ancestor, her minions in tow.

The mage named Stanwell, a tall Western European man with short, jet black hair and an air of noble superiority looked down on me, his nose pointed up. Two of his group stayed behind with him. "Oh, it's the little worm Emiya. If I weren't so busy I might even deign to do Magekind in general a favor and crush you as your comeuppance."

His companions laughed uproariously, as if he just made the funniest joke in the world.

Maiya stiffened up. I signaled for her to stand by with my right hand, then smiled, as my hands worked the action on the Thompson Contender, loading a precious Origin round into it. Severing and Binding. My Dual Origins effectively obliterated the circuitry of anyone using Magic Circuits, permanently. The more powerful the mage, the more active circuits, the more damage was dealt.

I began to taunt him, "Surely your actions can follow your words, dog of Barthomeloi. Do something."

Glaring at me, he began to channel Prana: "Little worm, you shall properly address me as Lord Stanwell as I incinerate you…"

Suddenly, a young mage ran up to him: "Lord Stanwell! A division of Rozay's lesser vampires are bearing down on the left flank, opening up a new escape route! The Director is going to be most displeased!"

Howling in rage, he began to run towards the battlefield, yelling at me while doing so. "Little maggot, I'll get you for this later!"

*From inside the warehouse*

Out of the rubble, Escherdt moaned, mumbling "Why is everyone ignoring me?"

Ignoring him, I pulled Kiritsugu into a hug.

"Kiritsugu, it's always you saving me… Unfair…"

"I'LL TEACH YOU TO IGNORE ME! WATCH THIS!" Escherdt had run away from the warehouse site. Kiritsugu shrugged, looking back towards me. My hairs stood up again.

The pit of my stomach fell out. I realized all the Prana within the bounded fields inside the warehouse was surging.

"KIRITSUGU!" I yelled as I tackled him, rolling with him. Rolling us away from the warehouse.

*BOOM*

For the fourth time today, my world went white again.

Chapter 4 Fin

[A/N: Approaching 8000 words uploaded here... nobody has anything to say?]


	6. Chapter 5: The Mouse and the Snake

[A/N: Mil is the short-hand phrasing of Milliradian, half of which is the usual degree of adjustment available on a scope.]

Chapter 5- The Mouse and the Snake

I woke up to an incredibly delicious smell.

I felt sick to my stomach.

Opening my eyes, I saw a spoon being held by Kiritsugu in front of my nose. I was in a rather nice European apartment, with the lights dimmed down.

"Kiritsugu, that smells delicious." Smiling, I continued: "Did you burn down 3 kitchens to make this?"

Prodding my mouth with the spoon, he replied with a straight face: "Nope, didn't want to risk setting off the explosives, so I bought some microwavable chicken soup- it's your favorite, right?"

As I sipped on the soup, memories of what happened the day before flashed back. I bolted up into a sitting position. "Are you alright, Kiritsugu? We were supposed to talk about… You wanted to talk about the details with your agreement with the Einzberns."

Tilting his head, he replied; "Thanks to you, we are both alive, and I'm relatively uninjured. In return for my services as the Champion of the Einzberns, I've been granted use of Einzbern House resources, my standing in the Magus Association has been normalized, and my lineage will be formally recognized as a branch family of the Einzbern family. It will be their only branch family, if I recall correctly."

Pausing for a second, he continued: "In addition to bringing them the Holy Grail, I am to marry one of their homunculi, produce an heir, and presumably pass down my traits, talents, and the Emiya Crest to my now Einzbern-controlled family. Obviously, my child will be used as a hostage against me to ensure my cooperation."

I gasped. I always wanted to give Kiritsugu a child, but I became infertile after… after certain events in my life before being rescued by Kiritsugu.

The look on my face caused Kiritsugu to pat me on the head. "Maiya, if I can truly attain everlasting world peace, it would be hypocritical to throw away that possibility for my own child. It would be a betrayal of all the sacrifices, all the blood, to everyone that I have failed, the bystanders I have killed, and all the people I couldn't save."

We sat there in silence, the lights dimmed, as Kiritsugu slowly fed the entire bowl of soup to me, one spoon at a time; almost romantic, if only the situation were different. Did I love Kiritsugu? Was that question even worth asking? Did he love me? I resolved that it didn't matter- it didn't change anything.

He brought over another tray of food, and we passed the next hour in silence, him feeding me again.

*An hour later*

"Kiritsugu, what will you- I mean, we do next?" I broke the silence.

"I'm going to Romania tonight. You need to eat up, rest and recuperate. Afterwards, you'll take our assets to America, prepare for the Holy Grail War, and then go to ground there, while I raise a family here. We'll need some more bricks of C4, spare parts for the M960, a replacement for the FAMAS- I'm thinking some more AUGs, or a QBZ95…"

"Not a G36?" I teased him, remembering the epic rant he had with a local arms dealer about 2 years ago…

"No German or French trash! I'll never be an H&K fanboy!"

I smiled wider as he wound himself up.

Adopting an overexaggerated German accent, he carried on, "Your cheap roller-delayed stamped sheet metal weapon sucks; it's the weapon of peasants! Look here at my cheap roller-delayed stamped sheet metal weapon; it has H&K stamped on its side! That means its Deutschland's Finest! Best German engineering, available for only twice the cost!"

I was… content. To lay down, with my head sinking into a soft pillow, and hear Kiritsugu talk; to have him close to me, and hear him speak on a subject he clearly enjoyed speaking about, to rest and feel the authority and conviction flow through his voice.

*another hour later*

Kiritsugu reached the end of his rant about how H&K instructed its Armourers to prevent the refitting of its weapon's with superior aftermarket components, the general crappiness of its pistols, concluded with a statement about unjustified senses of superiority afflicting both the Magus world and mundane world, then stood up, putting on his coat.

Seeing him so, something fluttered again inside me.

"Kiritsugu!" I called out.

He turned towards me, putting his hand on top of my head. His eyes widened as I reached up, putting my hands behind his neck, pulling him down on top of me. After kissing him deeply, I whispered into his ear: "Come back to me safely, Kiritsugu."

Straightening up, he finished loading his weaponry into a suitcase, then nodded, and strode out of the room.

==================== -][- ====================

*Romania, 2PM, Remote mountainous village, near Escherdt estates. Pudgy man is watching surroundings of the village*

Petr was worried. According to his few friends in the Association, Einzbern representatives were asking for the locations of the Escherdt estates, details on the disposition of his family's resources, capabilities of the Escherdt family magecraft.

They wondered what he had done to possibly interest such an ancient and high-status lineage.

Petr wondered too. But for now, he needed to focus on research. Stroking his pudgy chin as he watched the local village idiot, drunk off of some disgusting local brew, wandered into one of a trap and began screaming horribly as black tentacles grabbed him…

*Half a kilometer away, on top of a tree*

I heard the target mumble to himself. Tuning in the enchanted directional microphone I heard: "…newest variant of the concealed bounded field showed that against skilled magi who are able to utilize unconventional methods of detection, the triggering mechanism had to be resilient to tampering or at least be booby-trapped itself. This meant that-"

I decided his guard was lowest now. If I surprised him now, he would undoubtedly run back towards his family estates, and I would save myself an Origin round, yet still destroy all his family's accumulated work. Smiling, I adjusted my scope by half a mil, and leaned in…

As the rifle recoiled into my shoulder, it spat a projectile, massing 165 grains of lead sheathed in copper. Travelling at nearly 2,800 feet per second, it travelled for less than half a second before it collided with the Escherdt family head's right arm, nearly severing it at the elbow joint.

Through the scope, I could swear I saw chunks of white bone fly out along with a spray of blood and flesh. Without magical healing, that arm would be lost. More importantly, the shock and pain would cause him to revert to instinctual mode, robbing him of his limited ability to think. At which point, he would run to his burrow.

Yep. I smiled deeply as he pelted back towards the main Escherdt residency… containing its family Thaumaturgical Librarium and workshops.

*15 minutes later, a hill about 300 meters away from Escherdt estates*

I saw him at his family estate's gates. Tuning in the microphone I could hear he was yelling at the servants to open up and let him in.

Once he was inside his house, he asked: "Whats that odd smell? Almost like natural gas…"

I pulled out a remote and pushed the red button.

First, a relatively small explosion went off. About two seconds later, the Escherdt mansion vanished in a brilliant flash of light, followed by an earth-shaking roar, then a hollow-sounding implosion. As I surveyed the rubble, I reviewed the events of tonight.

Using Einzbern intelligence resources, I discovered the original architectural designs of the Escherdt mansion, built over 2 centuries ago. There were numerous catacombs below it, with an ancient service tunnel connecting it to another set of catacombs. In this labyrinthine set of tunnels, local utility companies saved money by laying gas lines and power lines through it, rather than digging out new utility lines.

All I had to do were to send some Einzbern familiars in, cause heavy gas leaks into the sub-basements of the Escherdt family estates, and carry a two-stage charge in. Once in, they left through the same passages, and returned to monitoring the village.

The first charge utilized a mostly anoxic reaction, it's shockwave spreading and compressing the methane gas throughout the house, in essence, turning it into a giant fuel-air bomb.

The second charge guaranteed ignition. The powerful thermobaric effect obliterated everything in the vicinity- all traces of their research, all the family magi currently in residence, and probably most of their family's wealth and power as well. The fuel-air effect guaranteed complete erasure of the bodies at ground zero- hopefully preventing recovery of the Clan Crest.

Not only did I conserve my dwindling stockpile of plastic explosives, but best of all, no innocents died this time. Except for that village idiot, who was apparently a sanitation/utility engineer…

Well, his sacrifice would come in handy, as I began falsifying documents indicating that said village idiot failed to correctly maintain the gas lines, causing the explosions and death of most of a moderately prominent local clan…

Chapter 5 fin.

[A/N: Next chapter will definitely be last chapter.]


	7. Chapter 6: Sealing of Fate

Chapter 6 – Sealing of Fate

BGM ON

*Cozy apartment in Munich*

Kiritsugu returned to the apartment next day, near noon. Maiya just woke up; she was instructed to sleep until he was back, and took his instructions rather literally.

"I see you've enjoyed your beauty sleep, Maiya."

She flushed; "I, uh, normally don't wake up this late…"

"It's fine. The mission went just as planned; no surprises thanks to Einzbern resources. Their intel-gathering abilities and familiars are incredibly handy- this will prove to be an enormous advantage when the Grail War starts, in a few years."

"So… what will we do next? I'm supposed to go to America tomorrow, yes?"

"Yeah."

"So… what are you doing next?"

"I'm supposed to prepare for the wedding… its happening next week, in fact."

Ruthlessly suppressing a flush of heat in her mind, Maiya smiled and teased; "Oho! Very smart of you, Kiritsugu! Getting the inamorata out of town before the marriage!"

"…That's not-"

Maiya shushed him with a kiss. "Don't worry. You could hardly invite the paramour to the wedding… Do you love her, Kiritsugu? You shouldn't marry one who… Who doesn't love you more than herself."

She attempted to say it off-handedly, as if it didn't matter to her, but even Kiritsugu could feel how important this was to her.

"…I met her just a week ago… But, I think I can fall in love with her. And I have to try- no, not for the Grail, but for my child…"

"Y-your c-child?" Laughing, Maiya shook her head. "T-that's why you smelled d-different. "

"What do you mean?"

"You've already consummated your marriage with her, haven't you? So, is she better than me in bed?" Maiya tried her best to sound nonchalant, but still came across as bitter.

Kiritsugu twinged as he had a flashback***... still, now was not the time.

"Maiya… She's hardly skilled in bed, seeing as that was her first-"

"Hah! So you DID sleep with her!"

"… Maiya…"

Looking at Kiritsugu for a second, she slowly kissed him, and then said: "I'm unlikely to see you for a few years. I'd like to keep a memory of you…"

==================== -][- ====================

*4 hours later, Kiritsugu is sitting on the side of the bed, putting his clothes back on*

"Oh. Before I forget, here is money you will need, and the airplane tickets."

Maiya kissed Kiritsugu again: "I- You better look great on your wedding day."

==================== -][- ====================

It was a sunny day. The weather was nearly perfect, and the local church was packed with silver-haired, red eyed beings, along with some local onlookers… and Maiya, on a rooftop half a kilometer away, looking through her riflescope and listening using a directional microphone.

She would follow his orders unto death… But it would take an act of God to make her miss Kiritsugu's wedding.

As high organ music began blaring wedding music, a pepper-grey haired older man leaned over to a young, Asiatic priest, and whispered in his ear- "Let the ceremony begin, Mr. Fumizuka- I bet you can hardly wait to go back to Japan."

As Irisviel began walking down the aisle, the priest clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "We are gathered here today, friends, family, and beloved, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony. We are here to celebrate their union and to honor their commitment to one another. Today, Kiritsugu Emiya, and Irisviel von Einzbern proclaim their love to the world and we rejoice with them."

Turning to Kiritsugu, he said: "The woman who stands by your side is about to become your wife. She will look to you for comfort, for support, for understanding, for encouragement, and for protection. You must never take her for granted, and always consider her along with yourself."

Kiritsugu, despite not believing in God, solemnly pledged: "As freely as God has given me life, I join my life with yours. Wherever you go, I will go. Whatever you face, I will face. For good or ill, in happiness or sadness, come riches or poverty, I take you as my wife.

On a rooftop of a local apartment, Maiya nearly wept at the august words coming from Kiritsugu's mouth.

Smiling, the priest turned to Irisviel: "The man who stands by your side is about to become your husband. He will look to you for comfort, for support, for understanding, for encouragement, and for care. You must never take him for granted, and always consider him along with yourself."

Irisviel wore a mischievous smile on her face. "I will treat him as he deserves; exactly as he has treated me…" She then leaned over, kissing Kiritsugu on the lips.

At Jubstacheit and the priest's commotion, Kiritsugu whispered into her ear.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't supposed to kiss him yet? What about now?"

==================== -][- ====================

*15 minutes later*

"…more freely than the Einzberns have given me life, I voluntarily and gladly join my life with yours, Emiya Kiritsugu. Wherever you go, I will go. Whatever you face, I will face. For good or ill, in happiness or sadness, come riches or poverty, I take you as my husband."

Jubstacheit facepalmed. The priest looked confused… It was definitely still a modification of the script- but still, the wedding had to go on.

"If you are ready to step into the holy circle of matrimony, assuming all its rights, obligations and abundant joys, please so indicate by joining hands."

Kiritsugu held his hand out, and then attempted to ignore Irisviel playfully tickling his fingers when she thought nobody was watching. He failed miserably.

"Irisviel von Einzbern and Kiritsugu Emiya come before you, their chosen family and friends, to join their hands in marriage. If there is any reason they should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Maiya held her breath… There was a few seconds of silence that felt like hours.

Her heart was beating wildly. She could not breathe at all. Her mind was full and yet blank. She could not think. Her rifle was cold against her cheek.

She sighed. She would never go against Kiritsugu's will. She then looked back into the riflescope and tuned the headset…

The priest then nodded, turned to Irisviel, and then said: "Do you, Irisviel von Einzbern, take Kiritsugu Emiya to be your lawful wedded husband to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

Irisviel's face was a blanket of confusion. "I… I thought we went over this already. Can I kiss him now?"

There were multiple loud *thunks* as multiple homunculi facepalmed.

==================== -][- ====================

*an hour later*

Although Irisviel nearly ruined the mood multiple times, Maiya wept uncontrollably at the end, where Kiritsugu and Irisviel were pronounced husband and wife- with Kiritsugu kissing her, then used a bridal carry to spirit her away rather romantically…

Maiya's eye twitched as she recalled what she overheard on the directional microphone: "But all the food is there! Are you sure you don't want some of the food back there, Kiritsugu?"

She would do her duty. Would stand aside, and love Kiritsugu no matter what. Even if it meant smiling while watching every night, in her mind's eye, Kiritsugu with another woman.

Maybe she would be worthy of Kiritsugu.

Overtures of Tomorrow, Fin.

***Omake/Flashback***

Maiya: You did her already? Is she better than me?

Kiritsugu:... I don't know about *better*, but she was definitely... amazing...

*Kiritsugu's Pillow Talk*

Kiritsugu: Whoa! Are all homunculi this tight? Are your sisters as cute as you?

Irisviel: Tight?

Kiritsugu: *cough* Nevermind.


End file.
